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Best way to avoid over spending when out for a meal with family

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  • j.e.j.
    j.e.j. Posts: 9,672 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I think for family I would put a fair amount towards the bill. Not worth falling out with family over, imo :) Hopefully it's not going to be a regular occurrence.

    Yes, if it were workmates I would pay for myself only, - no reason why I should subsidise their boozing and over-eating when I've not got much cash myself!
  • yvonne13_2
    yvonne13_2 Posts: 1,955 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    j.e.j. wrote: »
    I think for family I would put a fair amount towards the bill. Not worth falling out with family over, imo :) Hopefully it's not going to be a regular occurrence.

    Yes, if it were workmates I would pay for myself only, - no reason why I should subsidise their boozing and over-eating when I've not got much cash myself!

    I tried to and the restaurant said no, we all came together so we would be issued one bill.:eek:
    It's better to regret something I did do than to regret something that I didn’t. :EasterBun
  • victory
    victory Posts: 16,188 Forumite
    The tight git phrase strikes a chord because we wento out with 27 of us and already decided beforehand to split the bill, when it came to it, some bright spark said we shall equally per person, why? I don't drink well I do but not that night, never had a started like others and never had a dessert or coffee, why should I pay for the drinkers? For the ones that had more food?

    Unfortunately to save face like the tight git phrase we all agreed to do it and we paid well over the odds, since then the app of splitting the bill has been mentione,d we will never go again also, all that stuff but my eldest has the right idea. him and his gf look at the menu online work out the bill, order it, then put in the middle of the table exactly what they owe.

    They let the rest argue amongst themselves but they know how much theirs cost.

    If only the adult world was that simple:D
    misspiggy wrote: »
    I'm sure you're an angel in disguise Victory :)
  • jellyhead
    jellyhead Posts: 21,555 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can you look at the menu online, is it a pub chain? You could work out how much your food bill will be, and see what's on the bogof menu so you and your OH can choose something from it.

    I always go to the bar as soon as we arrive, and pay cash rather than using a tab. That way when the bill arrives I know how much my food was because I added it up beforehand, even if other people have put their drinks on the bill.

    I get a jug of water too, as has been said. Kids always want more than 1 drink, and I'd rather they had water than an extra fizzy drink or fruit shoot (I do allow them one fizzy drink, I'm not that mean, lol).
    52% tight
  • victory
    victory Posts: 16,188 Forumite
    That is what I am saying my eldest and gf do, they always look online at the menu, choose what they want, divide by 2 add 1 drink each and the money they put in the middle, it worked last time and there was 17 of them:D
    misspiggy wrote: »
    I'm sure you're an angel in disguise Victory :)
  • surfboard2
    surfboard2 Posts: 2,006 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    yvonne13 wrote: »
    Why do you have to go out? Was this planned ahead? If you cannot afford it just say and tell your dad that you will cook him a birthday meal at home.

    I agree with this.

    If you have no money, why don't you just do something nice for your Dad in the comfort of your own home?

    When i'm eating out with family, we all just chip in with what we have at the time. We have similar eating habits anyway, so it's never really a big deal. On birthdays, the birthday girl/boy never pays though.
  • Gillyx
    Gillyx Posts: 6,847 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I think with families it's different, but I've been out with work colleagues and had to subsidise fillet steak and 3 glasses of wine when I've had a cheap main and no alcohol (not that I'm a cheap skate, but because that's what I've chosen to have) I just got round it by next time ordering an expensive main :)
    The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.
  • chanie
    chanie Posts: 3,335 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    My OH's family does the whole 'kids go free' thing, it wasn't too bad for us as it was only a couple of £££ extra, but now we have DS1, things are tighter for us finanically, so I would insist we pay for our own meal - if we go out for a meal, I don't expect anyone to pay for my child to eat.

    I've had two bad experiences with eating out in groups:

    1) set meal was say £20, and I had 1 glass of wine, meaning the would have been about £25. Some bright spark ordered a £70 bottle of wine and we were all made to pay for this (I was quite young at the time, so I didn't feel confident enough to say).

    2) at works leaving do, pretty much everyone ordered a meal and a cocktail, and when we split the bill, it should have been £25 each. Either somebody didn't pay or the staff in the restaurant stole some money because we were short. I ended up having to pay an extra £10 as some people just pretended they hadn't heard when we were asking for more money from everyone.

    If you do go, I suggest that you agree it in advance. Also, some restaurants have a seperate bar, so everyone could walk up to the bar and pay for their drinks there (as the drinks always tend to be the most contentious issue).
  • yvonne13_2
    yvonne13_2 Posts: 1,955 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    They are already planning the Christmas dinner at work already. They want me to pay £66.00 (They must be cooking the food with gold)

    I have told them I am not going and I don't care as I am not paying for some greedy person who's eyes is bigger than there stomach. (Once again people asked to split the drinks bill)
    I haven't got money to burn and I don't drink.
    It's better to regret something I did do than to regret something that I didn’t. :EasterBun
  • TUS
    TUS Posts: 692 Forumite
    yvonne13 wrote: »
    I don't like splitting bills to be honest as it always causes problems. I went out with some people from work last week for someone's birthday.

    And I ended up paying £23.70 even though my bill was only £5.50.

    They ordered alcohol and also brought 4 children with them and 1) I don't drink so why did I have to pay for the alcohol 2) Why did I have to pay for other peoples children to eat.

    I may sound mean put I am just fed up of people not being fair. They should have paid for there own drinks as they went along and paid for there own children.

    I will never go out with them again and OP has been very fair in not expecting other people to take care of her bill.

    Not being funny, but you really should have stood up for those principles at the time - no point moaning about it afterwards. If I had consumed £5.50 worth of stuff and someone asked me for £23.70 I would speak up about it there and then. It's unacceptable to expect you to pay that much extra. If there was a pound or two difference between your meal cost and the bill split then it's a bit different.
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